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April 19, 2006

Consumer agency repeats DVD player recall

by Sam Savage

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety
Commission (CPSC) said on Wednesday it stood by its recall
announcement last week for Disney brand portable DVD players
because Chinese-made battery packs sold with the players can
overheat and possibly burst.

On Tuesday, the Chinese manufacturer of batteries
implicated in the recall said it had not yet been proved that
its products were used in the machines. The company, McNair
Technology Co. Ltd., based in Guangdong province, said it had
no business relationship with Memcorp Inc., a Florida-based
company that distributed the battery packs.

The CPSC said it had proof that McNair supplied to Memcorp
most of the 102,000 rechargeable battery packs involved in the
DVD player recall.

The agency "has written and visual evidence supporting the
information provided to CPSC by the U.S. importer," it said.

"Due to the burn hazard associated with the recalled
batteries, U.S. consumers are advised to stop using the battery
pack supplied with these DVD players immediately and contact
Memcorp for a replacement," it said in a statement.

The CPSC said there have been 17 reports of batteries
overheating.

The recalled DVD players were sold at Walt Disney Co theme
parks, through the Disney catalog, and at discount and
electronics stores nationwide from April 2005 through March
2006 for between $70 and $130. The players are about 6.5 inches
by 5.5 inches and include the models Princess, Fairy Flowers,
Mickey Classic, Mickey Mouse and Power Rangers.

Buyers of the recalled product can contact Memcorp at
1-800-326-0315 or at www.disneyelectronics.com.